


go beyond

by songtofly



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-08 20:56:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4320399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songtofly/pseuds/songtofly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep trying. To do the best you can do everyday."</p>
            </blockquote>





	go beyond

**Author's Note:**

> aaand another prompt fill based on the quote used in the summary.

He's worked hard, taken this as seriously as he could. He makes his parents proud and he thinks that he's achieved a lot for a seventeen year-old boy: student at the Shiratorizawa Academy since junior high, current captain of the renowned volleyball team, one of Japan’s representatives.

His name itself became a brand. People whisper it before he even steps out of the volleyball club bus, right when the teams enter the gymnasium; they speak it as he walks down the hallways, his team following close behind; they scream it when his palm makes contact with the ball and slams it down.

It's a daily basis thing. He can't remember the last time he's had to introduce himself as a player.

Contrary to popular belief in Miyagi, Ushijima is not invincible. He's lost, before. He's lost many times, actually. It's just that he's just never lost here, in his hometown.

One day, in junior high, Oikawa Tooru took a set from him. Technically, he didn't lose the match. Shiratorizawa still won, but that lost set is something he will remember for a long time.

Oikawa Tooru fights tooth and nail for sets, he fights like he wants to draw blood and print his name onto the back of his opponents' eyelids; like he wants it to be a constant reminder (as constant as blinks) that he is there, and that if he doesn't get it this time, then he will get it the next. So, Ushijima remembers. It's a fire that's in Oikawa's eyes that Ushijima rarely encounters, and it's endlessly fascinating. It never fails to send shivers down his spine.

Ushijima wishes Oikawa Tooru was be more greedy. He wishes Oikawa asked for more, and not settled for anything less than the best in Miyagi.

"If you keep only focusing on me, you'll find yourself gutted through unexpected means," Oikawa had told him before Shiratorizawa's match against Karasuno.

Oikawa was right.

-

He shakes hands with Karasuno's captain, one of the people who managed to receive his spikes--only with the help of blockers, but still--during the match.

Ushijima doesn't exactly know a good word to stick to his current feelings, but he is a captain, and he is proud of the colors he carries, so he doesn't look down as he leaves. This has no impact on his volleyball career, he is still one of Japan's representatives.

He reminds himself that this happens. Losing happens.

It just never happened here, it wasn't supposed to happen here, now.

-

He keeps track of the nationals. Karasuno's advancing slowly but surely. It is their first experience after all, they are not doing too bad.

-

He runs into Oikawa one day, and weirdly enough Oikawa doesn't pretend he doesn't know him this time.

"What's up?" he asks, with a bag of groceries hanging around his wrist.

"Karasuno won the Nationals," he says before he can even think twice about it. He almost wants to click his tongue because of course this is not exactly the answer one should give after being asked a question like that, but he doesn't.

"I know," Oikawa raises one of his eyebrows like Ushijima's stating the obvious again. "I was following the Nationals too, you know."

It's his thing, stating the obvious.

"Yes, of course," his tongue sits awfully heavy in his mouth. He doesn't remember what he came to the grocery store for. "Of course."

He feels extremely uncomfortable. He's waiting for Oikawa to take advantage of it.

He never does.

"You lost," he says lightly, like there are no consequences to it, "I can't say I think it's a bad thing."

Ushijima doesn't know what to say to that, so he stays quiet. Oikawa usually does enough talking for the both of them.

"The bad thing is if you think it's the end," it's almost like Oikawa isn't talking to him anymore, he has his forefinger tapping against his chin, and he's looking up at a mysterious spot on the higher shelf placement in front of them.

Ushijima follows his gaze at first, doesn't understand, so he settles with Oikawa's profile instead. It's a nice profile, he thinks.

"I never thought it was the end but when it came to you, otherwise I would've dropped volleyball after losing the Inter-High," he continues, "I liked to think that the end would be me winning against you, but I guess I was never one to know when to stop. Especially when it comes to you."

There's an awkward silence between them. Followed by a simultaneous "I--" that gets them both quiet again. Oikawa blinks at him, but he doesn't wait for Ushijima to ask him to speak first.

"I guess the point of what I was saying is," he takes a few steps towards Ushijima, "You can't give up because I still need to kick your dense ass, Ushijima."

"I'm not giving up," Ushijima is perplexed, the idea of giving up never crossed his mind, but he thinks that Oikawa reminding him that they will meet again and calling him by his name (again) is nice, "I'm not dead."

"Yeah, you're not," a stop, "Yet."

Oikawa smiles at him and Ushijima thinks his fangs look sharp. It sends shivers down his spine.

-

In the end, it doesn't go exactly as he thinks Oikawa planned it. They don't meet on opposite sides of the net again, except for same team training matches. And even then, Oikawa is just as merciless with him as he had been for six consecutive years. Maybe being the same age, and being forced to interact every day made Oikawa’s claws retract; being constantly angry uses up a huge amount of energy. Being together daily also involved getting to know each other, and once Oikawa told him that he wasn’t too bad, or at least not as bad as he was expecting.

Coming from Oikawa, back then, he thought it was praise. Maybe it was.

They work together in a terrifying way, and the weaknesses they have as individuals are easily covered by the other’s strengths. It’s scary, but they fit so well, and it’s better than Ushijima’s ever hoped it would be.

He still does end up discovering how sharp his fangs are. Except it doesn't happen on a court, it happens behind closed doors, room bathing in dim lights.

Right now, Oikawa's head is a comfortable weight on Ushijima's shoulder. Sometimes, the bus bounces over bumps on the road, and one of Ushijima's hands usually fly up rest against the top of Oikawa's head to steady him so he doesn't wake up just yet. He'll wake him up when they're finally home.

Being Japan's official setter is rough, Ushijima understands that.

They’ve just won the Asian Cup Volleyball Championship thanks to him, after all.


End file.
